Omaha daily bee., 1887-09-30
GENEROUS MILLiONAlRES.
Men Who Are Famous For Their Con
ltributions TO Worthy OhteCts.

leading newspapers during the last three
months, writes the New York correspon-
dent of the St. Louis Globe Democrat,
shows that within tins period alone the
people have fallen heir TO more than
SIC, O,OOO,OOO Of course, this is by no
means complete list, for it includes
only the most noteworthy bequests; and
the aggregate of the many small bene>
factions that are made eyory month.
perhaps every day, to hospitals and
libraries and schools in small towns, Is
very large. But more than 100000
have been gwen for the public good in
sufficiently large quantities to be reported
in the larger newspapers. That is, per.
haps, the largest aggregate ever given in
the United States for these purposes in
the same period of time. Although the
number of rich men is constantly in
creasing, there is evidence also of
growing habit of giving money for the
public benetit-a habit very worth culti-
waiting.
New England takes the lead of all the
sections of the country in the list of don
ations, for the very excellent reason that
it has larger accumulated capital and
larger proportion of rich men than any
other section, aud the south comes last
because it has fewer fortunes. If a com.
| show the generosity of each section,
| New England, the middle states, the
west ern states, the south and the Pacific
| slope, there is reason to believe that one
| section would make as good a showing
| as another; for tho volume Of public be-
| quests is rapidly increasing in them all.
| In the list that has been kept of public
l l. fns
south, but that IS because, rs a rule, they
are smaller than the gifts reported in
other parts OF the country.
| PRINCELY BENEFACTIONS
| Some of the benefactionS OF princely
magnitude are: Jonas &. Clark's gift of
an additional 81 600, 900 to Clark univcr-
sity, at Worcester, Mass; 100000 to
Rochester university. $5O.Ooo OF which
science; $3.50, 900 for park and library
at New Britain, Conn, by G. b. Erwin;
the more than usually large donations
to such old institutions as Harvard and
Yale, .an additional $4,000 to Butchcl
college, Axiom. Ohio, by the Hon. John
II. Butchel, making more than "a ,O0O,G00
in all; Mr.. W; C. DePauw's addition and
gift of 100000 to DePauw's university;
more than 81 100000 given by Enoch
Pratt, of Baltimore, for free public
library Though this, like the great Til
den gift in New York, was gwen last
year.; DIR. +. ID. Stanford's gift OF l5O
acres of land for park IN the city of
LouisvIlle; within five years .$2,O0O,O00
has been given for art and educational
purposes in Cincinnati; the munliicent
establishment by Mrs. Newcomb of Il
college for young women at New
Orleans; and every city as yOu go west
has had its recent benciicierles. When
the Pacific slope was reached the com
manding gift by Senator Stanford to
the university that bears his name and
MIR. Sutro's great statue of Liberty to be
erected IN San Francisco, equal If they do
not eclipse, similar gifts anywhere else.
THE BENEFITS INTENDED.
But very small proportion OF even
the great recent public benefactions
would include too many to enumerate.
More interesting than the number or
amount of them are certain tendencies
bequests and donations. Colleges and
hospitals and homes" have, until re-
Gently, had almost monopoly of the be-
quests of the rich But the fashion is now
fast changing and the directions the
change is taking .are indicative of the
broadening thought Of the time. Educa-
tiOnaD institutions are still the preferred
objects of benefactions for the public
good but it IS no longer the classical or
theological departments OF colleges that
are selected so largely for endowment
nor are educational gifts now confined
ia colleges of any kind. High schools,
polytechnic schools, industrial schools,
kindergartcns, gymnasIumt, schools OF
agriculture and social science and such
practical departments of the new edu.
cation are now selected. Hospitals and
homes are yet founded IN great numbers,
but now there is generally some specific
purpose, which indicates the practical
tendency of the thought of the times
shown by the donor.
Andsit is especially noteworthy that
several of the largest donations for the
public good that have ever been made IN
the Uuited States are to establish not
libraries of the old kind, but absolutely
free libraries. In fact such great free
library gifts as those of Enoch Pratt of
Baltimore Samuel j. Tilden of New
York, Walter l.. Newberry of Chicago,
and hundreds of similar but smaller do
nations have so turned popular attention
to the foundation of absolutely free
Libraries as a privilege and duty of rich
men that a distinguished educator, OBJ
serving this tendency, recently remarked
that it would soon be II reproach for any
town that had a rich citizen not to have
a fully equipped free library. In the list
of the donations published during the
last three months are not less than
{ | twenty-five to free public libraries, and
| they aggregate this includes none of the
! largest gifts given above) about one mil
lion dollars.
, PARKS AS GIFTS.
Another somewhat new direction thai
, public benefaction has recently taken IL
in the donation or adOrnment of parks
The municipal establishment OF parks
has received what might be called reg
ular supply of aid from private public
, spirit. Twelve cities or towns are in
cluded in the list, to which, during the
, last three months. private citizens have
, made presents of parks or contributed
largely to their Identification.
As showing further this recent tendency
a to practical aid in the making OF bene-
: factions may be mentioned such facts a.
these: AT Trinity college (Hartford). {
, theological school, a very large part o.
: last years donations was to build anG
equip the gymnasium, and $4,000 wer'
given to promote the good exercise go
from lawn tennis at New Haven, Henry
Farnam and James +. English have eacl
given about $4,000 to construct public
drives in park and at YIN N,,
sted, Conn.,, GIT OF $li,
T 600 has been made to grade ;
l boulevard around Long lake; at Water
| h,ry nann .laHv Iaft fnrtupa N